Plains of Ra
The Plains of Ra are the vast plains to the south-east of the Land, bordered on nearly all sides by mountains, except the north, where its boundry is the Landrider River, and the hills of Morinmoss. It is said ".. the Plains seemed full of elemental life, as if the low, quick hills were formed by the pulse of the soil, and the stiff grass were rich enough to feed anything strong enough to bear its nourishment." Such life force made it the ideal home for the Ranyhyn herds, and their Ramen. Description The Plains themselves are long flat stretchs of grassland, rolling along small hills, and ravines and crevices closer to its borders. The grasslands are covered by a thick hardy grass, a great deal of amanibhavam. and an occasional chintz tree puncturing its horizon line. Along its borders, in the mountains for foothills, the Ramen have many covert refuges, for the training of Cords, and tending of Ranyhyn. The largest and most well known of these coverts was Manhome, a long, wide, shallow cave along the southern cliffs. Here the Ramen dwelled under the shelter of the cliffs, but still were open to fresh air and the plains themselves. The Plains in the summer months must have been very dry, as wildfires were a constant threat, and no Ramen would allow open flame, or pyres for the dead within the grasslands. The dead were left to the scavengers and the sun, and when only the bleached bones remained, they would perform their rare anundivian yajna, their marrowmeld skill (until the knowledge was lost). History The Ranyhyn have dwelled in the Plains of Ra since they begining ages, first led and protected by Kelenbhrabanal, Father of Horses, and later by the Ramen. In an earlier age, the Despiser sent his'' kresh'' against the first herd, ravaging far into the plains. Kelebhrabanal grew weary of the bloodshed, and offered his life to the Despiser in exchange for his people's saftey. The Despiser slew the Father of Horses, and continued to assail the Ranyhyn, forcing them to flee from their home, into exile. The Ranyhrn remained in exile till after the war of the Southern Kingdom, till they found the Ramen to protect and tend to them. Upon finding their Ramen, they returned to the Land, and lived in relative peace until the war between the Old Lords and the Despiser. It is said the Demondim would at times assail the plains, and were called Fangs, the Teeth of the Render. When the Despiser finally declared open war against High Lord Kevin, the Plains of Ra and Landsdrop became the center points of defense. However Landsdrop was too wide a perimeter, and too easily sidestepped, and so the Lords were driven back, and the Ramen and Ranyhyn were forced into the hills and their coverts. In the age of the New Lords, the Ranyhyn and Ramen were left in peace, but for a small enemy force blockading the Roamsedge Ford. In the fell winter of that war, the Ranyhyn were slowly starved out, and frequently attacked, due to a traitor in their midst. They were done to their last covert when the Unbeliever finally released them from their Oath, and they fled the Plains again. It wasn't until the Despiser was defeated that they were able to return. And even then, they were only stayed for another thousand years or so, before the coming of the Sunbane. The Sunbane was another evil the Ranyhyn and Ramen could not face, and so forced them into exile again, where they remain to this day. Though the Sunbane was defeated in time, Kevin's Dirt prohibited return. So any changes the plains may have had over the past six thousand years, remains unknown. Category:Plains Category:The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Locations Category:Ranyhyn Category:Ramen